At least 9 dogs killed in Clifton house blaze; other pets missing [video]

By jeff green

staff writer |

The Record

CLIFTON — At least nine dogs perished in a three-alarm blaze Tuesday afternoon at a Mountain View Drive house that apparently was the site of a pet-sitting service that city officials said did not have the required operating license.

tariq zehawi/staff photographer

Firefighters on the scene of the blaze Tuesday.

Deputy Fire Chief Norman Tahan said the animals’ bodies were found scattered throughout the house and that two more dogs and three cats were missing. Two dogs made it out alive shortly before flames erupted from the roof and destroyed the two-story home, he said.

tyson trish/staff photographer

It’s not clear how many animals were inside the house, but some made it out safely, Clifton Deputy Fire Chief Michael Sauer.

Three firefighters were hospitalized for smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion while battling the fire in hot weather, Tahan said. One sought treatment in the evening, and two were released from St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson.

The Clifton fire, police and animal control departments are investigating, along with the Passaic County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The cause of the fire was unknown as of Tuesday evening.

The animals were loose in the house and not in cages at the time of the fire, Tahan said. Of the nine dogs whose bodies were recovered, four were found near a garage door, and three were in a hallway, he said. Other cats and dogs likely also died but were not found, he said, adding that ceilings collapsed over parts of the house that were not yet safe to search.

The fire was reported at 12:48 p.m. as the temperature reached about 90 degrees. Residents were able to escape the home uninjured, fire officials said, although it was unknown how many people were inside the house.

The home’s address, 176 Mountain View Drive, is listed on the online discount website Groupon as “Your Family Pet Sitters.” Fire officials said they had been told that the home was the site of a pet-sitting service.

A man who answered a phone listed for Your Family Pet Sitters said the service was not prepared to comment about the fire. The company’s website says it has three locations; the website suggests the business is insured, bonded and certified.

City Health Officer John Biegel, who oversees the animal control department, said the city has no records on file for a license to house animals at the address of the fire. Overnight kennels and some day-care animal facilities require licenses to operate in Clifton, he said. Residents also need the approval of the zoning officer to operate a business from their house.

“They don’t have approval to operate anything,” Biegel said.

A woman who said she is an owner of the home, which is listed in tax records as belonging to John Maso, said her daughter attempted to save the dogs when the fire began. Fire officials said a resident opened a door in the back of the house, where the fire is believed to have started, grabbed two dogs and ran away with them in her arms.

“My daughter risked her life trying to save some of them,” said the homeowner, Joan Maso. “She almost got hurt herself. It’s really hard because we care so much for those animals.”

Tom Kieffer, who said he lives in the home with his wife and a child, said two of the dogs slept with them in bed. “And those dogs aren’t even my dogs, but I sleep with them because I love them,” he told reporters, his eyes welling with tears.

Laura Kieffer, who is listed as the owner of the pet-sitting service on the service’s website, did not respond to phone and email messages seeking comment on Tuesday.

A woman who lives next door said she saw smoke from a bedroom window as the fire broke out. She then evacuated her brother and grandmother.

“It was just a little smoke, and it got bigger,” said the neighbor, who asked not to be named.

Firefighters from Clifton, Passaic, Nutley, Paterson and Bloomfield tackled the fire, which began at a rear extension of the house and spread quickly through the attic, fire officials said. Heavy flames were shooting through the roof, which had collapsed in several locations, and flames were coming from the back as well.

Firefighters were experiencing water pressure issues and had to tap three hydrants in the area. The house was deemed unsafe to enter because the roof and several areas inside the home had collapsed, Tahan said.

Mayor James Anzaldi, who responded to the scene, called the fire a “tragedy.”

At least 9 dogs killed in Clifton house blaze; other pets missing [video]

CLIFTON — At least nine dogs perished in a three-alarm blaze Tuesday afternoon at a Mountain View Drive house that apparently was the site of a pet-sitting service that city officials said did not have the required operating license.

Deputy Fire Chief Norman Tahan said the animals’ bodies were found scattered throughout the house and that two more dogs and three cats were missing. Two dogs made it out alive shortly before flames erupted from the roof and destroyed the two-story home, he said.

Three firefighters were hospitalized for smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion while battling the fire in hot weather, Tahan said. One sought treatment in the evening, and two were released from St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson.

The Clifton fire, police and animal control departments are investigating, along with the Passaic County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The cause of the fire was unknown as of Tuesday evening.

The animals were loose in the house and not in cages at the time of the fire, Tahan said. Of the nine dogs whose bodies were recovered, four were found near a garage door, and three were in a hallway, he said. Other cats and dogs likely also died but were not found, he said, adding that ceilings collapsed over parts of the house that were not yet safe to search.

The fire was reported at 12:48 p.m. as the temperature reached about 90 degrees. Residents were able to escape the home uninjured, fire officials said, although it was unknown how many people were inside the house.

The home’s address, 176 Mountain View Drive, is listed on the online discount website Groupon as “Your Family Pet Sitters.” Fire officials said they had been told that the home was the site of a pet-sitting service.

A man who answered a phone listed for Your Family Pet Sitters said the service was not prepared to comment about the fire. The company’s website says it has three locations; the website suggests the business is insured, bonded and certified.

City Health Officer John Biegel, who oversees the animal control department, said the city has no records on file for a license to house animals at the address of the fire. Overnight kennels and some day-care animal facilities require licenses to operate in Clifton, he said. Residents also need the approval of the zoning officer to operate a business from their house.

“They don’t have approval to operate anything,” Biegel said.

A woman who said she is an owner of the home, which is listed in tax records as belonging to John Maso, said her daughter attempted to save the dogs when the fire began. Fire officials said a resident opened a door in the back of the house, where the fire is believed to have started, grabbed two dogs and ran away with them in her arms.

“My daughter risked her life trying to save some of them,” said the homeowner, Joan Maso. “She almost got hurt herself. It’s really hard because we care so much for those animals.”

Tom Kieffer, who said he lives in the home with his wife and a child, said two of the dogs slept with them in bed. “And those dogs aren’t even my dogs, but I sleep with them because I love them,” he told reporters, his eyes welling with tears.

Laura Kieffer, who is listed as the owner of the pet-sitting service on the service’s website, did not respond to phone and email messages seeking comment on Tuesday.

A woman who lives next door said she saw smoke from a bedroom window as the fire broke out. She then evacuated her brother and grandmother.

“It was just a little smoke, and it got bigger,” said the neighbor, who asked not to be named.

Firefighters from Clifton, Passaic, Nutley, Paterson and Bloomfield tackled the fire, which began at a rear extension of the house and spread quickly through the attic, fire officials said. Heavy flames were shooting through the roof, which had collapsed in several locations, and flames were coming from the back as well.

Firefighters were experiencing water pressure issues and had to tap three hydrants in the area. The house was deemed unsafe to enter because the roof and several areas inside the home had collapsed, Tahan said.

Mayor James Anzaldi, who responded to the scene, called the fire a “tragedy.”